Algunder Waalweg

Rain is a scarce commodity on the sunny slopes above Merano. For centuries, farmers here solved the problem with Waale: narrow channels that carried mountain water across the hillside to thirsty vineyards and meadows. The Algunder Waal is one of them. Its first sections, from the Töll towards Plars, are thought to date from the thirteenth century, and it still does its job, watering the vines and orchards below. The path beside it was once the preserve of the Waaler, the man who kept the channel clear and made sure each farmer drew only his allotted share of water for his allotted hours. Today it belongs to everyone, and on a fine spring weekend it can feel as though everyone has come.

The walk runs for roughly six kilometres from the Töllgraben bridge in Plars to Gratsch on the edge of Merano, with so little change in height that the gradient barely registers. Local farmers distinguish the Plarser, Algunder and Gratscher Waal along the way, though walkers will notice no seams. The western stretch is the most intimate: the water chatters alongside under old vine pergolas and through shady mixed woodland scattered with boulders, while the chairs of the Algund–Vellau lift drift silently overhead.

Further east the landscape opens out. Vineyards and apple orchards fall away towards the garden village of Algund and the Merano basin, and Schloss Tirol, the castle that gave the whole region its name, keeps watch from the slope above. Benches appear at well-judged intervals; it would be churlish not to use them. Leiter am Waal in Mitterplars and Café Konrad are the classic stops for lunch, coffee or a glass of local wine, which, given the surroundings, seems almost obligatory.

The path ends above Gratsch near the small church of St Magdalena. From here you can continue along the Tappeiner Promenade into Merano, climb to Dorf Tirol or simply take a bus back. The path's narrowness is its main drawback: in blossom season and on autumn weekends it can be busy enough to demand patience and some polite stepping aside. Go early, walk from west to east so the views unfold ahead of you, and let the water set the pace.